Questions about having a blog

I had a blog and didn't find any value in it. My only blogging is part of my RWA chapter blog once a month, where I generally talk about boring stuff like craft and business.

I hate blogging and never really found value in it. Generally, blogs offer visibility and a way to interact with readers. For that to work you have to have a blog that draws traffic and has readers who interact. A lot of the time, blogging was like screaming to the universe to me. i put the words out there and there was no feedback to let me know anyone was interested.

Yes, you can monetize your blog and website. There are ads and affiliate links. if you go that route, make sure you keep it tasteful and targeted. Sites that look like Times Square detract from your professional image. I use some affiliate links as buy links from my website. Looking at my site, you won't be able to tell what's an affiliate link and what isn't. I also have my t-shirt shop integrated into my site. That's pushing it for me, but it's mine so I'm connecting it.

I don't think a blog is the way to get 'discovered.' I think a solid website and a good query are more important. I haven't missed my blog since the day I took it offline... and neither has anyone else.

Downside to blogging... for me at least... was the need for consistent content. It took time and concentration away from my writing. I have friends who love the outlet and enjoy blogging. It really depends on your personality.

My advice is that if you don't know what you want to do with the blog, don't start it. If you want to blog, get some direction and a plan before you get started.

For Wordpress.
How important is a blog, really?
Eh, meh -- depends on you.

What's the best way to utilize a blog?
Write good posts, comment and engage, follow others, like, everyday. If you want to go big follow and be active on mega bloggers, if you want a tighter community then find people who share your interest. Use the tagging system, with Wordpress I can PM you a handy tool that allows you to link to other blogs. Make sure your categorize your posts and please have a front page that makes all your posts accessible.
I'm a person who wants to work as a non-fiction writer, how can a blog help me?
You can meet others who share your interest, who inspire, other writers who can beta or act as motivators.

Is there a way to make money on blogging?
Yes. The guy who helps me is a super blogger. He runs 10 or 12 blogs a day with thousands of followers and even more viewers. Those blogs can on average make him a 100$ (in total for all 12) on a good month with Google Ad Cent and other things he has. But it takes a lot of time and a lot of work to build the following plus conversational posts are a perk. I'm speaking for Wordpress. I don't know about others.
How likely is it, honestly, that with all the blogs out there that someone will get "discovered" by having one?

It is dependent on you how successful the blog is. Comment, read, follow, and like posts every day and the following builds. By comment I mean engage in conversation. Write posts that have some body, use the end of your posts to start a conversation. The more people the come to your blog the better chances of being discovered. My blog helped trickle in a few sales and some fellow bloggers spread the word.

Are there any downsides to having a blog?
It takes time, to create a following, to maintain said following.

Story time now!
I started my blog in October. I started it as a way to give stakes to everything I needed to learn. It has taken all that time to build the meager following that I have, but I love my blogging friends. They have helped me, encouraged me, and gave me a kick in the ass, allowed me to almost conquer my anxieties of being active socially. Every post is a exercise, you write, you research, you edit so it all improves writing skills, and that is the greatest value to a blog.

An amazing blog with amazing writing can get you discovered. But so can an amazing novel with amazing writing, or submitting an amazing article with amazing writing.

No matter what you do, you have be writing well enough to be worth discovering, and you need something to say that a LOT of people want to hear.

It isn't the blog, it isn't the novel, it isn't the article that gets you discovered, it's your level of talent, and what you have to say.

There must be a hundred million blogs out there. About 99.9% of them are meaningless, and no one is going to be discovered because of them.

Do just about anything well enough, and have something to say worth hearing, and your odds are good. Do anything poorly, and have nothing to say, and the odds are pretty much 100% against you.

There's a downside to everything, and the downside of a bog is that it displays poor writing, and has nothing to say that a lot of people want to hear.

RookieWriter said:

I was talking with a writer today who told me one of the easiest way to get your writing discovered these days is by starting a blog. It gets your work and your name out to people and establishes your reputation as being a writer. This can lead to book deals or other published work. Here are my questions:

How important is a blog, really?

What's the best way to utilize a blog?

I'm a person who wants to work as a non-fiction writer, how can a blog help me?

Is there a way to make money on blogging?

How likely is it, honestly, that with all the blogs out there that someone will get "discovered" by having one?

Are there any downsides to having a blog?


I ask because I know so little about it. There are lots of blogs I have seen but I don't know how I would use mine. It seems most people use it to write fiction or talk about their lives but I want to do it more to promote non-fiction writing. A while ago I had a short and failed experience with a blog because I didn't know how to get what I wanted out of it. Sorry if this is a pain. Thanks for reading and responding.

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I'd think - especially if you're aiming at particular NF subjects - that a blog would be even more useful than it would be if you were writing fiction, since it's a way to showcase you're possible expertise on the given subject matter.

It's also a way to connect with potential readers, especially if you are into more niche subjects.

It's not clear to me what sort of non-fiction writing you want to do though - a book proposal, freelance journalism, public relations/copywriting, etc.

Afaik there is a fiction writer on here who got contacted by an agent from what he'd blogged, so if you do write well and update it regularly, you never know...

RookieWriter said:

I was talking with a writer today who told me one of the easiest way to get your writing discovered these days is by starting a blog. It gets your work and your name out to people and establishes your reputation as being a writer. This can lead to book deals or other published work. Here are my questions:

How important is a blog, really?

What's the best way to utilize a blog?

I'm a person who wants to work as a non-fiction writer, how can a blog help me?

Is there a way to make money on blogging?

How likely is it, honestly, that with all the blogs out there that someone will get "discovered" by having one?

Are there any downsides to having a blog?


I ask because I know so little about it. There are lots of blogs I have seen but I don't know how I would use mine. It seems most people use it to write fiction or talk about their lives but I want to do it more to promote non-fiction writing. A while ago I had a short and failed experience with a blog because I didn't know how to get what I wanted out of it. Sorry if this is a pain. Thanks for reading and responding.

Click to expand...

A blog is as important as you want it to be. Don't expect to become famous from a blog. Many blogs don't get many visitors. Blog because you enjoy blogging. And by golly blog about something you feel passionately about because many blogs dwindle and fade away.

I started blogging because I am making a serious run at trying to establish myself as a fiction writer. Blogging is probably the best social media presence for me, considering my strengths and weaknesses. I didn't want to start trying to learn how at the back end, I wanted to be familiar with the process and have some back-content. I also wanted to do a test drive when nobody was looking, in case I hated it or it sucked or I decided for whatever reason I shouldn't do it going forward.

I discovered I love doing it. That's a bonus, because I'd pull it down if I weren't willing to invest some considerable time and effort in the content. Last week I got a huge thank you from a teenage kid with some learning and psychological issues that literally brought tears to my eyes. That pretty much makes the next month or so worth it right there.

But, to your point, I'd strongly encourage you to try it out like I have, so it's not a new experience and hardly anybody is watching or cares. Then just see what you think.